Boosting Virtual Reality Learning in Higher Business Management Education
Quest keynote by: Prof. Dr. Carsten Domann & Mr. Ian O‘Donovan (Fachhochschule des Mittelstands, Germany). Originally published in: https://www.enter-network.eu/3d-flip-book/focus-europe-vrinsight-greenpaper/
Upon witnessing the rapid developments in virtual reality (VR) and the significant rise in usage of this technology in other regions of the globe, the partners of the VRinSight project set about to establish a project to pro-actively address the evolving skills gaps that SMEs in Europe are increasingly facing and will continue to face as VR technology begins to revolutionise how business is conducted in the modern global economy. The VRinSight partnership concluded early in its establishment that the higher education institutes of Europe were not only key to addressing this challenge but also bear a responsibility to wider economy and to the students they are educating, in ensuring that these graduates in Europe are adequately prepared with the relevant technical skills to fulfil their role in management of SMEs, and ensuring that Europe’s industry remains competitive. It is therefore incumbent on the institutes of higher education across Europe to make sure that their professors, lecturers and academic staff possess the key knowledge on VR technology, so that the necessary skills can be acquired by business and management graduates. Bringing these academics up to speed on the latest VR developments was thus the key challenge the VRinSight partnership set itself and to deliver a training programme that could accommodate academics, so that this knowledge can become a staple part of university curricula and trickle through the higher education business graduates into businesses and industry across Europe.
The VRinSight partnership also recognised the need for flexibility in such a VR training programme so it could be beneficial to academics outside the discipline of business management, as well as being transferrable to industry and be made available to current SME management who maybe seeking support in becoming familiar with VR and understanding how they can benefit from this technology. In order to encompass the requirements and needs of these key target groups, the partnership of the VRinSight project was consolidated to include representation from the institutes of higher education (Tampere University, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) as well as from industry (Federación Vizcaína de Empresas del Metal) and to include expertise in VR technology (WAKEONE). This cooperation model between universities and industry would secure the necessary input from each target group and ensure innovative and relevant deliverables from the VRinSight project that would make a lasting impact on education and business.
Before embarking on the development of a VR training programme, the partnership sought out the in-depth input from its target group by undertaking a European survey of higher education institutes, a survey of SMEs, and in-depth research into available VR technology and its suitability for the educational setting. These studies surveyed perceptions, attitudes as well as experiences of VR in the two target groups and sought out tangible case studies and best practice examples of VR use in education and business. The resulting survey report publication was an essential insight for the project partnership in the development of content for the subsequent VR training programme and in developing a structured training that would be accessible and appealing to both academics in higher education and the management staff of SMEs.
Interestingly the survey uncovered how sporadic VR developments tend to be across European universities, with isolated instances of VR adoption in these organisations appearing and revealing a limited awareness of the practical use of this technology in education and its potential for learning. The survey also highlighted that when this technology does tend to appear in the universities of Europe, rather than being adopted and experienced by lecturers and students alike in the halls of learning, VR is largely confined to the research laboratories of these institutes.
With the objective clear, the VRinSight partnership set about writing a structured content and curriculum for a VR training programme. As well as giving an introduction to VR technology, the training programme was designed with a hands-on approach covering the basic functionalities of VR equipment, basic handling of VR hardware, working with suitable software, and how to integrate VR technology into a classroom setting, as well as providing a roadmap across the landscape of countless VR applications that are currently available. A showcase of the best 25 VR applications available was carefully selected by the project team for their suitability for use in a classroom setting and ability to bring learning material to life and allowing students to experience a new form of learning. The training programme was developed with a range of modules addressing the diverse requirements of the target groups, such as the pedagogic aspects to be considered be when integrating VR into the classroom and how VR can enhance the learning experience for students. Furthermore the training programme outlines the concrete benefits to businesses that have adopted VR, and gives clear examples of how VR can be integrated into the business operations of a modern SME. Instances including VR:
- enabling immersive collaboration in product design,
- enabling remote maintenance support of industrial machinery,
- enabling staff training in high-risk/hazard scenarios,
- visualization of business processes and organisational structure, as well as product lifecycle analysis and project workflows.
The VRinSight training programme was structured with flexibility and accessibility in mind with a logical mix of practical and theoretical learning coupled with learning activities and assignments to ensure a thorough and effective participant training. As part of the practical learning experience necessary in the training programme the project partnership designed and created a purpose built virtual reality platform, that guides participants though the experience of virtual reality and the essential learning benefits of VR in Education. The so called “VRinSight Classroom” embodies and illustrates in a VR experience many of the key learning contents covered in the training programme and compliments with a VR experience the learning undergone in modules of the training programme. The VRinSight classroom gives users a new and novel perspective on how learning and education can be experienced.
In order for the VRinSight project mission and its key message to make a lasting impact, the project partnership published a Green Paper for distribution to target groups such as a academics and SME management and also significantly to key stakeholders who are in a position to assist and support in the adoption of VR in business education and education generally, at a political level and the level of educational strategy and in industry. The VRinSight Green Paper includes key addresses from experts across Europe, each outlining their experience with VR and its potential for the purposes of education. Lessons learned and recommendations from not only the VRinSight project, but also from similar project across Europe are included and should serve key stakeholders greatly in guiding their choices and decisions regarding educational policy and strategy, and outline to SMEs and business across Europe, how the adoption of VR technology solutions can help overcome the current and future challenges faced by the European economy.
- Prof. Dr. Carsten Domann & Mr. Ian O‘Donovan
